While not necessarily videogame news, Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is being turned into a live action movie by director M. Night Shyamalan. Check out the teaser trailer!
Order
Note: I wrote this back in 2009. Ever since my summer of being anchored to the kitchen table playing World of Warcraft, the fine line between hobby and addiction has been on my mind. Enjoy! – Bryan
“Hobby: an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.”
What happens when a hobby starts to consume ones waking thoughts?
In my pursuit of finding the balance between my electronic hobby and life, I have found myself walking a fine line between hobby and addiction.
Video games are not a casual hobby but a culture. At one time the video game culture was regulated to ones living room but this is no longer true. The Internet now serves to connect a gamers living room to the rest of the world. News, reviews, and varying editorial run rampant and at different levels of professionalism.
“Culture: the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.”
No longer are we, as a society, unplugged. The Internet is present in our cellphones, handheld game systems, and even local coffee shops. Not being able to unplug allows one to have constant access to the vast reaches of cyberspace. For me, this means that I have unlimited access to the gaming culture. Throughout the day I find myself reading various videogame related sites. On the outside, there is nothing wrong with this, but I have found myself treading the fine line between hobby and addiction.
As a Christian, I find that my love for videogames and video game culture are often in conflict with my spiritual life. There are times when I should be praying when instead I am thinking about the latest MMO; times when I should be reading my Bible and instead I am reading the latest video game magazine.
To fight against the tide of addiction, I have found that it is best to take a step back and remove whatever it is that is dragging me down. Balance between my hobby and life is not what I seek, but order in the my life’s priorities.
Find yourself overwhelmed by a hobby? I encourage you to take a step back and find order.
Backpack Life
Life is full of in-betweens, periods of time spent waiting, watching, and listening for the events that mark one transition to the next. We spend most of our lives in transit; out of our comfort zones, away from the stability that normalcy provides. I believe God uses these periods of change to remind us that there is a great need for Him.
Not knowing personal direction (job, relationship, etc.) keeps us, as humans, searching for solid ground. We find ourselves desiring black and white answers, all the while demanding that God illuminate our current life path. We are scared of the unknown; we find ourselves in need of our Creator.
In the transitory periods of life, the time spent living out of a backpack, we long for God the most. I know I do. The journey from childhood to adulthood is unmarked by any specific event. The world around might say having sex is the mark of an adult, while others might say voting in an election is. No specifics are given as to what qualifies as a transition, we live life without a hint book.
Perhaps one of the greatest errors society makes is the lack of specific transitory ceremonies. I can only imagine what such a ceremony would entail. A starry night comes to mind as a campfire burns in a forest. Communion with nature somehow mixed with pain. Pain always seems involved with transitions, whether they are physical or mental.
The notion that God is good becomes bedrock while searching because ultimately God is good. Stripped down of unneeded thought or theology, we can find ourselves resting on the firm foundation of God. Now I’ll be honest, God’s foundation is not always easy to find but is indeed there. I am not saying that God’s foundation moves but that there can be trouble areas in our lives that keep us from finding him. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I take comfort in God being good and Lord over all. During the times when you cannot fathom where life is leading, times which grip one in fear, remember the solid foundation that is Jesus Christ. Living out of a backpack isn’t all that bad when one knows that the journey has already been written and has an end. An end no movie sequel can hope to resurrect.
Don’t Forget Signet
The routine is generally the same: get online, talk to peers, decide where to fight, decide what jobs to level, and then go. But, my little Taru-taru white mage has a small routine before heading out to fight mobs with her party. She visits her mog house to make sure she has her white mage gear and then empties as much junk from her gobbie bag as she can so she can hold items won during battle. She leaves her mog house and meets the rest of her party at the rendezvous point. From there the journey begins and they are off to beat the bad guys! But there’s one important thing she often forgets to do: get Signet.
Historically, a signet ring was used by royalty to imprint their royal seal on laws and decrees. The signet represented allegiance, authority, and authenticity. Similarly, adventurers in Final Fantasy XI receive signet from their home country and use it to gain more conquest points for their nation. These points improve the overall welfare of their country. They also allow adventurers to buy useful gear. Without signet, though, my Taru-Taru ends up out in the battlefield without the ability to heal as quickly or retain TP. (no, not that kind of tp – the kind that builds up your weapon skill power.) Unfortunately, the signet wears and generally needs to be renewed every day. There are guards positioned at many locations across the world of Vana’diel that are always able to refresh the signet when asked.
This concept of signet got me to thinking about my own real life. I have my routine of getting dressed, brushing my teeth, and grabbing my lunch. But, when I head out to face the day, I’m often met with challenges that my deodorant just won’t fight for me. I need more than a physical readiness. I need a reminder of my allegiance, a proof of legitimacy to my life, and the confidence that God is in absolute authority over this crazy world.
How much better would my day be if, before I stepped out the door, I took a little bit of time to remember the One to whom I belong? If I stop and remember that God is sovereign, the troubles that I meet during the day really won’t be as hard as I usually make them out to be. Instead of fighting my own battles alone, He is there beside me holding my hand. His signet would remind me that He is there. He will overcome evil with good. Still harder to believe, He cares about my life and loves me. If His signet is on my heart, of whom do I have to be afraid? I can go out and face the dangers sporting the same stout heart of a level 57 white mage. The truly good news is that this courage is real.
Here is your reminder today: “Don’t forget signet!”
.: Colossians 3:23 :.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
No Strings Attached
I am tired of the Church and of Christianity as a whole trying to constantly re-market itself in an attempt to appeal to new generations. This modern phenomenon reminds me of the loser kid at school willing to do anything to become popular. In the Church, this plays out with multimedia productions, coffee shop atmospheres, and sermons/ messages that are so watered down that the Bible is never used. Harsh? I think not. The mission of making Church attendance and Christianity popular is occurring every Sunday.
In our attempts to modernize Christianity, I believe that many Churches have forgotten about the simplicity of the Gospel. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Notice that all one has to do is believe in Jesus Christ. That’s all folks.
JohnnyBGamer.com is not about re-marketing Christianity nor the Church. The simple mission of this site is to provide a place where gamers can check out the latest in video gaming without the sexual content found on other sites. I decided to include a section dedicated to God because I wanted to show what honest Christian living is. I am not here to re-market/ repackage the God I serve; I am here simply to act as a representative of Him, no matter how many times I will fail at doing so. – Bryan
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